Taking Life Moment by Moment

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Take life moment by moment. You’ve heard it before. So cliche, yet I find myself wondering how exactly to get through the yuck even if it is one second at a time.

We Are Not Alone

Jesus, being quoted by Paul, said,

“My grace is all you need.  My power is strongest when you are weak.” 2 Corinthians 12:9

I don’t know about you, but I’m quite frequently weak. Always trying to get through these trenches of life, these dark and trying moments.

Challenging Life Moments

Adoption

There have been times in my life when even the moments seemed long, and I didn’t know how to get to the next one.  The first time I really remember that feeling was when we were in the adoption process with BB. Everything took forever, and we were clueless about the next step. Our steps were dependent on someone else, and it was so frustrating!

Real life in a hotel in Manila, a mama trying desperately to comfort her baby.

Finally, he was placed in our arms, but he proved to be difficult to parent, especially for me because he really didn’t like me. I remember being beside my bed on my knees crying for God to help me. In the moment, it felt like He had left me there, but we made it to the next moment and the next and the next.

Twins

Another season of life when that moment by moment thing threw me was when the twins were babies. Oh, my! I had never done anything so crazy hard physically, mentally, or emotionally in my life. Chris would agree that the days were dark and lonely. It was brutal. No sleep, constant feedings, crying babies, big kids to look after (so thankful for my mother-in-law)–the list goes on.

M&M a few days old.

I cried; we cried for God to just help us. Guess what, there was no magic. Babies still cried; we still didn’t sleep; there were still constant feedings; and the big kids still had to be looked after. But, that moment gave way to another and to another, and now those itty-bitty twins are pre-school age. The grace we needed for that moment was graciously given.  Even though at the time we didn’t see it, we made it through.

Trials in Marriage

Recently, our marriage was in trouble. I wanted out, but I didn’t want out. I was so broken, but I knew I had promised for better or for worse. Knowing you are supposed to work it out and actually doing that are totally different things. I didn’t know how.  I didn’t know how to move past or how it could all be all right ever again.

But, it was, and it is. One awful moment of crying to God with bitterness gave way to another until the bitterness fell away and the moments marched on.

God’s grace is all we need in the moments

So here’s the thing: we all go through life moment by moment. Some moments are longer than the years, or so it seems. I think the difference is how we view it. I’m not saying that all would be well if we just have a good outlook or think positive. What I am saying is this: if we can just step away from the crud of that moment and realize that it’s passing–just like we want it to–we realize that we really are taking it moment by moment.

Grace takes us through. And then on the other side of it, we know that it was grace, God’s grace, and nothing of our own doing, that got us through. Remember what the Bible says: My grace is all you need. My power is strongest when you are weak. 

Ya’ll, I can’t explain how we made it through those hard moments, and in the moments it seemed like we wouldn’t. But what I do know is that in our crying out in desperation is admitting that we are weak, that we cannot do this thing. God honors that, and He gives us just the grace we need to get us through. In this hog pen of life, all we can do is seek Him and trust His grace because we surely can’t get ourselves out of it. Sometimes, His grace is the strength to endure moment by moment.